Do sea stars have trouble in their habitat?

Answer 1

That, obviousely, depends of the starfish species and, of cource the habitat conditions, as well as the other creatures it holds.

Common sea stars (Asterias Rubens) for example have their tube feet eaten by Harlequin Shrimps.

Sea stars are generally not popular prey for fish, since they are hard to remove from the rock, and due to their spiny skin tissue. But many crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters and shrimps and well as other sea stars often prey on them.

Some sea stars have developed defences against the predators they have. The ultimate example is the crown of thorns, a 60 cm wide sea star living in the indian and pacific oceans. It has developed hundreds of sharp, poisonous spines on its back, and has very few predators.

Some sea stars, however, do not have such a defence, and in turn have trouble in their habitat.

Many crustaceans and fish cannot consume the whole sea star, so they simply tear off one of its arms. Sea stars can regrow their arms, but this takes a lot of energy in the form of protein reserves.

Ironically, one of the largest sea stars in existance, the Sunflower Sea star, is often a victim of this.

Apart from predators, starfish are perfectly adapted to life on the sea floor.